A recent NY Times article is probably ‘required reading’ for all pediatric gastroenterologists, pediatricians, and family practitioners:
Here’s the link: Mirlax -Scrutiny for a Childhood Remedy
Here are some excerpts:
The [FDA] agency has asked a team of scientists in Philadelphia to look more closely at the active ingredient in Miralax and similar generic products, called polyethylene glycol 3350, or PEG 3350. While outlining the scope of the research, the agency also disclosed that its scientists had discovered trace amounts of two potential toxins in batches of Miralax tested six years ago.
The news is likely to surprise parents and some doctors.
“Every pediatric GI physician, I would guarantee you, has told a family this is a safe product,” said Dr. Kent C. Williams, a gastroenterologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Now, he worries, “it may not be true.”
Doctors have long recommended these laxatives for their convenience and on the grounds that very little PEG 3350 is absorbed in the intestines. But the F.D.A. says there is little data on its absorption in children, especially the very young and chronically constipated. The agency never approved long-term daily use of the laxatives, even in adults….
Moreover, for years the F.D.A. has received occasional reports of tremors, tics and obsessive-compulsive behavior in children given laxatives containing PEG 3350. It is not known whether the laxatives are the cause….
The F.D.A. said that it had tested eight batches of Miralax and found tiny amounts of ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG), ingredients in antifreeze, in all of them. The agency said the toxins were impurities resulting from the manufacturing process.
Those tests were conducted in 2008..The agency again tested PEG 3350 laxatives from five makers in 2013, Mr. Ventura said. None had detectable amounts of EG or DEG. “The amounts were so low,” he added, and “complied with internationally recognized safety standards.”
Bottomline: The previous pediatric studies of Miralax that have been published have shown favorable benefits and not disclosed adverse effects. It is difficult to exclude the possibility that there is a small subset of children in which Miralax results in adverse effects. As with many medications, more pediatric data is needed.
Question: Will this or should this change how Miralax is discussed with families?
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